Pain Point SEO, Lean Thinking, & More

This month's Searchlite intro written by Sr. SEO Analyst, Skye Sonnega.

Hello, marketers!

We hope your July was filled with good books, movies (did anyone see the new Elvis? Top Gun?), and staying cool in the summer heat.

This month has been an exciting one for Uproer, we welcomed two new employees! Say hello to Sr. SEO Analyst Stephen Wanca, and Sr. Paid Analyst Jehrad Thompson on LinkedIn. 🎉 These guys know their stuff, we're pumped to have them aboard!

In other news, Skye participated in a live event for Social Media Breakfast - Madison! Learn more about unconventional ways to source content ideas from her talk here.

We have a great lineup of reading material this month. Before we jump into the Searchlite highlights, don't forget to check out some of the latest articles written by Uproerians:

• Uproer’s Approach to Producing Content That Converts
• 8 Reasons Marketing Agencies Should Use Google Data Studio

Now let's jump in!

Stop Random Acts of SEO! An Outcome-Driven Approach to Strategy Development

by Griffin Roer, CEO & Founder

Key Takeaways:

• Doing a 60-page, checklist-style audit and slapping the word “strategy” on it doesn’t make it an SEO strategy.
• Here’s what you can expect to gain with an outcome-driven strategy:
  • Buy-in: Your strategy is compelling to clients because it communicates growth outcomes that they care about
  • Value: Your efforts are concentrated on opportunities that will drive growth where it matters most
  • Vision: Your strategy lays out a clear roadmap to achieve defined outcomes that will keep all parties aligned

Why it Matters:

A true outcome-driven SEO strategy drives value by aligning execution with the client’s goals. It replaces aimless SEO execution with a prioritized roadmap that’s designed to produce specific outcomes. Our article will guide you through the process of building an outcome-driven SEO strategy.

Our Approach to Managing Time & Energy as a Search Marketer

by Dave Sewich, SEO Manager

Key Takeaways:

• For search marketers, managing energy is at least as important as managing time
• Using systems such as the LNO Framework helps to prevent burnout and ensure you’re working on important projects when you’re at your best
• Doing deep, high-leverage work requires deliberately making space in your schedule and eliminating distractions

Why it Matters:With so much vying for our attention, it’s increasingly important to be intentional about how we manage our time and energy. This article includes a few of the methods that work for us, but the truth is that much of the benefit comes from simply having a system. The ultimate goal of a saner, more productive, and lower stress working life is worth striving for.

Lean Thinking in SEO

by Adam Gent, the SEO Sprint

• Lean thinking is the process of validating ideas using scientific methods, while providing the results to stakeholders
• This lean approach helps teams manage uncertainties, which come from a lack of understanding or confidence in a solution
• Marketers can use the “Build-Measure-Learn” loop to help break down complex projects and truly identify whether it will have value for stakeholders.

Pain Point SEO: How to Produce SEO Content That Drives Conversions

by Benji Hyam, Grow and Convert

Key Takeaways:

• At the end of the day, most clients are measuring SEO effectiveness by the number of conversions driven, as opposed to general traffic increases to their website
• As SEOs, we too often lead keyword strategy by picking keywords with the highest search volumes, instead of the ones most likely to result in conversions and revenue for our clients
• Specifically targeting the pain points of your target audience allows you to make your clients happy without having to fight for the biggest and most competitive keywords

Why it Matters:
Specifically targeting your audience's pain points allows you to make your clients happy without having to fight for the biggest and most competitive keywords. Even queries with minimal volume can make a big impact if you’re really intentional with your targeting. At the end of the day, most clients are measuring SEO effectiveness by the number of conversions driven, as opposed to general traffic increases to their website, and we should lean into this by thinking beyond raw search volume numbers.

Content Creation: A Psychological Approach

by Michael Bonfils, Search Engine Land

Key Takeaways:

• We are all pretty different and what we absorb and relate with in terms of content and creative varies from person to person.
• By understanding your own psychology better, you can then understand how to bester communicate with your target audience and build a community around your brand or cause.
• Everyone's psychological traits can be plotted on a spectrum and knowing where your target audience tends to fall on that spectrum is valuable context for creating content that resonates with them.

Why it Matters:
Without putting yourself in your potential customers shoes, it's going to be really hard to create a piece of content that resonates with your audience enough to lead them down the sales funnel. Tapping into some human psychology knowledge and tactics has nothing but upside for marketers and participants of any given community. Without a deep understanding of your target audience and understanding what motivates them, it will be next to impossible to build a strong community around your brand, product or service.